Employees     Forms     Staff Directory     Staff Development     Professional Excellence     Academic Research *District Alerts Home About Us Calendars Contact Us Enroll & Transfer Lunch Menus School Buildings Administration Assessment & Evaluation Curriculum & Instruction School Board Strategic Plan Human Resources Job Opportunities Activities Alumni - BPS Foundation ASSIST Business & Accounting Community Relations English Language Learner Program Facilities & Transportation Food Service Gifted/Talented Education Home Education Indian Education Library Services Printing Special Education Students in Transition Technology View News & Updates View Upcoming Events eNews Site Map   you are here:   District Home  >>  Employees  >>  Academic Research Academic Research BPS Employee Research Requests and Authorization As a learning organization, Bismarck Public Schools encourages continued education and academic research. Many requests are received asking permission to conduct surveys or asking for data samples that can be used to investigate and evaluate programs and processes. The following information pertains to all graduate-level research that is part of a degreed/accredited program. Research regarding our BPS educational practices and the effect of those practices on student achievement is only a win/win if we are clear about the research questions. It is also important for the researcher to report back on the results and recommendations. Gathering and arranging data can be one of the most time consuming parts of research and this typically falls on our limited assessment and evaluation staff. In an effort to streamline these requests the process for gaining approval is as follows: (1) Complete the following survey form outlining your study. (2) Your study will be reviewed by the Executive Team, typically within two weeks. (3) If your study is authorized you will receive information regarding a contact for data or next steps. (4) You will be required to submit an executive summary of your results that can be posted to this website area so we can all learn from your work. Note: BPS does not provide student data that would include individually identifying information (e.g. student numbers). BPS Employee Research Approval Form All research involving BPS staff or students must be approved. Please complete the following questions. * 1. First and Last Name: * 2. Job Title: * 3. Brief description of your study (this will be posted on the website): * 4. Study hypothesis/question(s): * 5. Who is the primary audience for your study? Add a new Answer Teachers Students Administrators New Answer * 6. Please identify the data fields you will need (grade level, MAP Math RIT Sprg 08, etc.) or survey questions you will ask. * 7. Explanation of how you will use the data. What will be compared? * 8. Do you have IRB approval for this study? Please explain. * 9. What is your expected date for submission of your summarized results/recommendations? Please specify month and year. Current Academic Research Author Research Description Hypothesis/Question(s) Audience/Methods Estimated Completion/Results Chad Even To determine the effectiveness of the Activboard in the regular education classroom. 1. Does the Activboard increase student engagement during a lesson? 2. Does the Activboard engage various learning styles and provide differentiated instruction to meet the various students' needs? 3. Are Activboards more beneficial than standard whiteboards ? BPS Teachers with ActivBoards. Survey of teacher perceptions regarding instructional practices since receiving an ActivBoard. Executive Summary Eliza Brown To determine the extent to which online multiplication simulations enhance student fluency of basic multiplication facts. 1.To what extent does online fact practice contribute to student growth? 2.How do online multiplication simulations play a part in the transfer of facts to various math skills? 3.To what extent does the gaming atmosphere of online websites contribute to student fact fluency? [Note: My study is primarily focusing on multiplication fact fluency. However, my hypothesis is that by strenghtening my students fact fluency, other mathematical concepts will be strengthened as students carry over fact knowledge into other various areas of math.] Students in author's classroom. Pre/post student perception surveys, observation, analysis of classroom math scores. Executive Summary Tom Eberle The purpose of this study is to determine whether the Northwest Evaluation Association Measure of Academic Progress (NWEA MAP) assessment is an appropriate measure to use as a precursor to the North Dakota State Assessment (NDSA) to help ensure secondary schools meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). 1.What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the Northwest Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Progress as part of the North Dakota secondary schools assessment strategies? 2.To what extent do North Dakota secondary school districts use the Northwest Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Progress (NWEA-MAP) assessment? 3.To what extent can performance on the North Dakota math and reading assessment for high school students be predicted from Rasch Unit (RIT) scores? Administrators August 2010 Gina Phillips Bismarck High School has been awarded a grant for 5 Kindle eBook readers for circulation in the library. The BHS Library is one of the first schools in the state to circulate eBook readers and we feel this is a great benefit to the students of BHS. Through the use of anonymous surveys, confidential interviews, and circulation statistics we will look at how this form of technology affects student reading enjoyment and interest. (1) To what extent does an eBook reader affect student reading interest? (2) Are reluctant students more likely to read on an eBook reader device? (3) Can eBook readers help increase engagement in reading? (4) Are eBook readers an effective way to motivate teenagers to read more? (5) Do students use the built in technology features such as note taking and the dictionary to increase their comprehension? Bismarck High School Students August 2010 Alyssa Opland The purpose of this study is to describe how the reading program, READ RIGHT, affects the reading scores of students taking computerized standardized tests such as the Map test and the North Dakota State Assessment. RQ 1. In what ways does cycling and excellent reading help with comprehension on test taking? RQ 2. How does weekly critical thinking help students to answer/respond to the questions asked on tests? RQ 3. If students consistently perform independent reading, how much will student scores be affected on tests? Students July 2010 Greta Delparte I want to research student's improvement levels with timed tests in comparison to using the math program Fastt Math. Currently this program is used in the fourth grade and I would like to see if teachers would find more benefit from starting in a younger grade. I plan on using Fast Math with my classroom at least 4 days per school week as compared to another 2nd grade classroom that is using the regular teaching and timed tests to teach students. At the end of this action research project I will be using the data to write a report that I will submit to VCSU as a part of my graduate program. I hypothesize that my students who are using Fast Math will see more growth with quicker reaction times to math facts than the students who are using the timed tests. Teachers & VCSU Staff January 2011 Page last updated Thursday, July 08, 2010 at 9:34 AM Site Map  |  Privacy Policy  |  Disclaimer All Content © 2010 - Bismarck Public School District design and programming by inet technologies